grail

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See also: GRAIL

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English graal, greal, from Old French graal, greal (cup), from Medieval Latin gradalis, possibly corrupted over time from Latin crater (bowl).

Noun

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grail (plural grails)

  1. The Holy Grail.
  2. Something eagerly sought or quested for.
    Becoming an astronaut was his grail.
    • 2002, Zadie Smith, The Autograph Man, Penguin Books (2003), page 214:
      How many of them had found the item they dreamt of, their personal grails?
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English grayel, from Old French grael, ultimately from Latin graduale. Doublet of gradual.

Noun

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grail (plural grails)

  1. A book of offices in the Roman Catholic Church; a gradual.
    • 1694, John Strype, the Memorials of Thomas Cranmer:
      antiphonals, missals, grails, processionals, etc.

Etymology 3

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Uncertain; perhaps a reduced form of gravel.

Noun

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grail (uncountable)

  1. (poetic) Small particles of earth; gravel.

Etymology 4

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Compare Old French graite slender.

Noun

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grail (plural grails)

  1. One of the small feathers of a hawk.

Anagrams

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